From under the tree: Tolu Akanni's Story.

...Omonoba...
Our people say:
Yoruba: Ó pé títí ni “A-benu-bí-enu-òbo”; ká sá so pé, “Ìwọ Lámonrín, òbo ni ó.”
Eng: It is mere circumlocution to say “A person has a mouth like a monkey's”; one should rather say, “You, so-and-so, you are a monkey.” - Yoruba Proverb.
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Hello beautiful people,

It is exciting to see the results of the NigerianBlogAwards 2010, category A. Congratulations to all the winners. I am thrilled for you and you all deserve this.

I came in contact with Tolu Akanni, who I think is very phenomenal. He is a fellow blogger, a student of class '10, an entrepreneur and now, a writer. Tolu has written a book called A-Z Life Lessons which would be launched officially at the TerraKulture, Lagos, on the 9th of July, 2010. If you are in Lagos, you definitely should be there. I felt obliged to share this persona with you all. Since Tolu has received / is receiving a lot of attention on blog(s)ville regarding the author side of him, I decided to showcase the other interesting parts of him. Here goes:

Could you give us a brief biography about yourself and an insight into your latest project, A-Z Life lesson? 

I was born and raised in Lagos Nigeria. I had a very interesting childhood growing up with a very good relationship with my two brothers who are 9 and 7 years older than me. This accelerated my maturity as a growing child and I was always a step ahead. I am a product of influence and I am able to command the level of things I command today because of God and the people He has surrounded me with who have given me the opportunity to express myself. This book took me 365days, but the interesting thing is that I never started out to write a book. The book is purely a compilation of a selection I made from my 365-day old archive of written thoughts. I found it publication-worthy, my friends liked the idea, and with the right encouragement from friends I resolved to show it to the world. A-Z LIFE LESSONS is just the beginning. 

What has the blogging experience been like and what has the general reaction been towards this book?

I started blogging in July 2009.The blogging community has been very supportive. The likes of Harry, Myne Whitman and Muyiwa have been pushing the right buttons on my behalf, also comments on the book excerpts I put up online have been fantastic.  The book was dedicated to God on my 21st birthday. The demo copy was made available for viewing to guests that were present at the birthday gig and there was no one that didn't like it, in fact they all loved it. Most people that have heard about the book in my school can't wait to buy their copies. My Lagos friends are equally anticipating my July 9 Lagos launch. Mr Fela Durotoye of Visible Impact has endorsed the book and Mr Leke Alder of Alder Consultancy has also commended my efforts in writing a book that lovely; to me that's a great start.  

Electrical Engineering and Motivational Writing?

Writing started off for me as something I fell back to at moments of boredom then my passion to add value to lives set in. I wrote my first article, "A-Z OF SCHOOL: 26things that made primary & secondary school worthwhile in our days" in March 2009 during my internship. That particular article was featured in the 1st edition of Mitre Magazine, published July 2009. I love to think, I love to create, I enjoy strategy, I'm all about improving values and that is what my branding, events and business consultancy outfit, El Fiz Concept is all about; that is where my passion lies for now. But it might interest you to know my passion for creativity is very relevant to my degree, so in the long run these 5years walk in earning this degree would not be in vain considering the fact that I have esoteric long term plans to establish myself in that industry. Writing is not a full-time career for me; it is something I resolve to after my regular career day- it's just an overflow of my thoughts. 

Favorite book(s) / author(s)?

Think big by Dr Ben Carson

Think like a billionaire by Donald Trump

Life as I see it by Leke Alder

Parable of dollars by Rev Sam Adeyemi

Food or Fruits?

Fooooooooooood, then fruits.

Zobo or Kunu or Palwine?

Kunu.

A book that you currently are reading?

What's your excuse by John P. Foppe.

One thing that you would like to tell upcoming writers that no one told you

You might start out writing for yourself, but soon you will wake up to realise that your stuff should not be limited to the pages of your personal journal, you will soon wake up with a burning desire to have the world read your piece but don't rush. Slowly but surely you will get there, just seek to add value.

If you were a type of food, what would you be and why.

Chicken and chips, because I'm the kind of guy you will always want to hang out with.

If you had a million dollars, what would you spend it on?

The 10% that makes the remainder relevant would go to God, 50% on my business, and for the remaining 40% I would spend big on my parents and I would treat myself to a great deal of vain pleasures - fancy cars, clothes, houses, vacations.

How would you explain childbirth to a four year old?

It is the point in time when mummy will go to the hospital with her big belly and she will come back home with a small belly and a baby in her hands.

I thought his story had to be told. Thank you for reading!